The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
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Pittsburgh
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Akron Downs Pittsburgh, 75-72, in Overtime
November 25 | Women's Basketball
BOXSCORE (PDF)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A furious fourth-quarter rally propelled the University of Akron women's basketball to overtime where the Zips outscored Pittsburgh, 13-10, to secure a 75-72 victory over the Panthers in the finale of the Daytona Beach Classic on Saturday (Nov. 25).
The triumph represents the first win for Akron over a Power 5 school since the Zips earned a 58-49 triumph past Michigan on Nov. 17, 2008 at James A. Rhodes Arena. It also stands as the first Power 5 decision for Akron on the road since besting Indiana, 70-67, in overtime on Nov. 21, 1998.
The Zips had four players score in double figures, led by junior Reagan Bass (Strongsville, Ohio), who had 24 points and four assists. Sophomore Lanae Riley (Akron, Ohio) tacked on a career-high 22 points to go along two steals and a pair of blocked shots. Redshirt senior Morgan Haney (Piqua, Ohio) added a 13-point and team-high five-assist performance.
Akron finished the afternoon shooting 46 percent from the field and at a season-best .438 clip from beyond the arc where the squad connected on seven three pointers. Additionally, the Zips utilized great ball movement in Saturday's game, piling up 18 assists on 29 made field goals.
The Akron defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 20 Pittsburgh turnovers while committing only 12. Those takeaways turned into 17 points on the offensive end of the floor. Junior Zakia Rasheed (Avon, Ind.) led the way individually for the Zips with four steals, while netting 10 points.
How It Happened
Akron trailed after the first quarter, 17-11, before falling behind as many as 10 in the second quarter. The Zips responded the adversity closing the opening half on a 12-2 run capped by a three pointer at the buzzer from Rasheed to take a 30-29 lead into the intermission. The run was fueled by four, three and three points, respectively, from Bass, Haney and Rasheed. Akron was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 19 points.
The Panthers regained the advantage in the third period, outscoring Akron, 21-8, to assume a 50-38 lead entering the fourth. Akron played well near the basket, scoring six of its eight points in the paint.
Pittsburgh extended its margin to as many as 15 in the final period before Akron used a 7-0 run capped by a triple from Haney at the 5:03 mark to close the deficit to eight, 55-47. The Zips continued to chip away and came to within two, 61-59, on a three pointer by Riley with 22 seconds remaining in regulation.
After the Panthers split a pair of free throws, Riley delivered on a lay-up with nine seconds remaining to bring Akron within one, 62-61. A steal by Rasheed resulted in a Zips' timeout with three-tenths of a second left. On the ensuing inbounds pass Pittsburgh was whistled for a foul that sent Bass to the line where she hit a key free throw to send the contest into overtime. Akron took advantage of nine Pittsburgh turnovers in the quarter, scoring 13 points off of those takeaways.
Akron then took care of business in extra time, outscoring Pittsburgh 13-10 to seize victory by the 75-72 final score.
Game Notes
» The Zips rallied from a 15-point 55-40 fourth quarter deficit to force the game into overtime.
» The Zips shot well from three point range, knocking down seven of 16 long-range attempts.
» Akron tallied 18 total assists in the game.
» Bass, Riley, and Haney combined to account for 79 percent of the Zips points.
» The Akron defense forced 20 turnovers.
» Akron cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Akron got a team-high five rebounds from Rasheed.
Up Next
Akron welcomes Tennessee State to James A. Rhodes Arena for a 2 p.m. matinee affair on Sunday (Dec. 3).
